Saved from Darkness
by Lady Sabine of Macayhill
Summary: A sort of prequel to my fic A Different Future. After losing Lily's friendship, Snape spends the summer as Mrs. Petrov's apprentice in Potions, and slowly heals. Written for reviewer Elspeth25. Please read & review.
1. The Invitation

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. It belongs to the wonderful author J.K. Rowling.

Summary: A sort of prequel to my fic _A Different Future_. After Severus Snape's friendship with Lily ends, Nikolas Petrov becomes worried for his housemate and has him spend the summer at the Petrov home. This is what occured during that summer. The beginning is in third person, but after that, it will switch to the first person from Snape's point of view.

This fic is dedicated to reviewer Elspeth25, who wanted to know exactly what occured during the summer Snape spent with the Petrovs that the grandparents briefly explained to Harry/Alex and his adopted twin sister Beth in Chapter 9 of _A Different Future_. Thank you for inspiring me to write this.

Nikolas Petrov looked on in great concern as Severus Snape stalked off, feeling rather alarmed over what his younger housemate was going through. Severus's mother had died earlier in the year, and now to top it off, his friendship with Gryffindor Lily Evans had just ended. All that Niko could get out of him regarding it was that he had said or done something so awful that Lily refused to forgive him despite repeated apologies. The fact that the Marauders, a group of four Gryffindors that had a strong penchant for mischief, were constantly bullying Severus didn't help matters, even if he did always did his best to defend himself. Well, Remus Lupin didn't take part in the bullying, but James Potter and Sirius Black most certainly did. Peter Pettigrew didn't really take part, either, but he had no problem with egging his friends on.

Niko sighed, wondering if there was anything he could do to help his housemate. Well, at least the school year was almost over and Severus would be able to get away from the Marauders for the summer. However, that thought presented another problem of great concern. Severus had told Niko a few years ago that his father was a Muggle, but hadn't said anything more about the father. Unfortunately, if someone didn't talk about another person, it was usually because they didn't like him or her or he or she had done something that caused them to stop acknowledging the person. That told Niko that Severus didn't get along with his father, and it was entirely possible that neglect or abuse was going on.

With that worrying thought, Niko sought out his twin sister Anastasia and her best friend Sarah Horowitz, who also happened to be his girlfriend. "I don't know what you can do about it," said Ana. "After all, this is our last year at Hogwarts and we're graduating in a week's time."

Sarah nodded. "And we're getting married in August, Niko, and Ana's getting married to Stephan once she completes her Potions mastery and he completes his Defense Mastery."

"Couldn't you talk to Lily and ask her to forgive Severus?" asked Niko. "She's in the same house as you."

Ana sighed. "I already did, and Lily wouldn't listen. She said that after what he said yesterday, and the fact that he's been hanging around with Slytherins that are completely awful to Muggleborns for the past year, she can't be his friend anymore. She can be very stubborn about things, so I gave up trying to convince her."

"Well, I can't just let Severus go home in this state!" cried Niko. "His mother's dead, he just lost his best friend, and that Potter and Black keep bullying him! I caught them hanging him upside down and threatening to remove his pants yesterday! They probably would have if I hadn't put a stop to it. I doubt his father is going to be any help, since Severus never talks about him except for the one time when he told me that his mother was married to a Muggle."

Sarah's lips tightened, understanding what Niko meant. She rarely talked about her parents ever since they had disowned for being a witch and insisting on going to Hogwarts. No doubt Snape's father was also the sort that hated magic, though it probably hadn't started right away, since he had married a witch, after all.

"Well, then don't let Severus go home!" exclaimed Ana. "Just-"

"But he can't just stay at Hogwarts for the summer!" protested Niko. "You need permission from Professor Dumbledore, and Severus isn't about to explain why he wants to stay."

"If you hadn't interrupted me, Nikolas, I was going to say that Severus should go to our house. Our parents won't mind, and I'm sure that they can help him. If he's not sure about it, just add that Mother would likely take him on as an apprentice, since he's brilliant at Potions and you need to apprentice with a Potions master in order to achieve a Potions Mastery."

"Oh," said Niko. "I'll go invite him, as soon as you call Mother via the two-way mirror and ask for permission, Ana."

Ana took the mirror out of her pocket, tapped it with her wand, and said clearly, "Ilsa Petrov." A minute later, the face of Ilsa Petrov appeared in the mirror.

"Oh, hello Ana," said Mrs. Petrov. "How was your Potions N.E.W.T. yesterday? Did you do well?"

"Of course I did well," said Ana with a slight laugh. "You've taught me everything you know about the subject, Mother, and there's always at least one person in each generation of the Petrov and Ivanov families that is brilliant enough at Potions to achieve Mastery in it. Anyway, Niko and I have something to ask you."

"What is it?" asked Mrs. Petrov.

"Could we have one of my housemates spend the entire summer with us?" asked Niko, taking the mirror from his sister. "His name is Severus Snape, he's in fifth year, and things aren't going well for him at the moment. His mother died earlier this year, his best friend, who's in Gryffindor, just ended the friendship over something he'd accidentally said, the Marauders like to bully him, and I don't think his relationship with his father is a good one. Severus never talks about his father, except for the one time about his being a Muggle."

"Oh dear. That's not good at all. At best, Severus will be neglected, and at worst he could be verbally and perhaps physically abused. And with his mother gone, he won't have anyone to properly look after him at his home. Well, he's definitely not going to go back there, if I have anything to say about it. You have my permission to invite him to spend the holidays with us."

"Would you mind having him as your apprentice for the summer also, Mother?" continued Niko. "Severus is really brilliant at Potions and could achieve a Mastery in it if he wants, so long as he fulfills all the requirements. He probably won't be as hesitant to spend the summer with us if he's also going to be your apprentice."

"Of course I'll be happy to take him as my apprentice," responded Mrs. Petrov. "He will be a great help at the apothecary. Not that you aren't a great help, either, Ana, but I can always use some extra help during the summer. Summer and winter are always my busiest times."

"Thanks, Mother!" exclaimed Niko. "I'll talk to you later." He handed the mirror back to Ana and then ran off to find Severus.

* * *

I was holed up in my dorm room, wishing that my life was over. Lily Evans, my best friend and the girl I loved, had ended our friendship. Despite my repeated apologies, she refused to forgive me, and now I felt that life wasn't worth living. With my mother gone, there was nobody at home to comfort me, and I didn't have any real friends besides Lily, unless you counted Nikolas Petrov. Niko was always nice to me, and understood what it was like to be bullied, since not all the Slytherins liked the fact that he was _Romany_, or a Gypsy, not to mention the fact that Gypsies had faced prejudice from Muggles and wizards alike for centuries. Unlike me, however, he had a loving family, including a twin sister, was enaged to a wonderful girl that was his twin's best friend, and still had his best friend, a Ravenclaw named Stephan Romanov.

Unfortunately, Niko was graduating at the end of the school year, which was in a week's time, and with Lily ending our friendship, there was nobody that would be willing to stand up for me against the Marauders. Not that I couldn't hold my own and fight back against Potter and Black, but they always ganged up against me, so I didn't have much of a chance.

A knock on the door startled me. I looked up to see it slowly open to Niko. "Severus, do you mind if I have a word with you?"

I hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "I guess, Niko."

Niko sat down next to me and said, "The school year is going to end in a week. I don't think you really want to go home, what with your mother gone, so I was wondering if you wanted to spend the summer at my house. You could go straight to us and wouldn't have to step foot in your home at all."

"I have a father," I pointed out rather rudely, even though I hated Tobias and was rather scared of him since he liked hitting me whenever he was drunk, which was often.

"But you never talk about him, which leads me to believe that you don't get along with him," Niko pointed out. "Look, will you please just spend the holidays with my family? My mother is a Potions Mistress and owns an apothecary, and she said that she was willing to take you as her apprentice for the summer. One of the requirements of getting a Mastery in Potions is becoming the apprentice of Potions Master or Mistress for at least four months. So you can apprentice with her for this summer and the next one."

The offer was very tempting, as I wouldn't have to face my father at all, and I could fulfill one of the requirements necessary to achieve a Potions Mastery, which was something I had seriously considered getting, along with a Defense Mastery. I also had the feeling that Niko wouldn't take no for an answer, so in the end I accepted his offer. I sent a letter to Tobias notifying him about the apprenticeship, so he wouldn't wonder where I was when I didn't return for the summer. I wasn't surprised to not receive a reply, since I doubted that he would really care about me or what I was doing so long as it didn't inconvenience him in any way.

A week later, the school year ended and I was on the Hogwarts Express, sitting in a compartment with Niko, his twin Ana, his girlfriend Sarah, and his best friend Stephan Romanov. Ana, who had inherited her mother's ability in Potions, spent a great deal of time talking with me on the subject. Stephan, who was working on his Defense Mastery, also spoke to me on the subject of Defense. Sarah told me that her biological parents, who were Jewish, hated magic, and had thrown a fit when she'd gotten her Hogwarts letter. When she had insisted that her magical abilities were a gift from God and that she was going to Hogwarts, they had disowned her. After becoming best friends with Ana in their first year, Sarah had essentially been adopted by the Petrovs and spent all her holidays with them, though she still clung to the Jewish faith. Now that she was engaged to Niko, she would soon be one of the family in truth.

I couldn't help wishing that Tobias had disowned me after I'd gotten my Hogwarts letter. He didn't care two knuts, or tuppence as Muggles would say, about me, and then my mother and I could have left him. But he hadn't, and for some reason Mum had stayed with him, despite the fact that they hadn't gotten along since I was four. At least I was able to escape him for ten months of the year at Hogwarts, and during the holidays Mum did her best to protect me from him.

Niko told me a little about his and Ana's sister, Maria, who was a year older than them and married to Stephan's brother Tobias. They were currently in training to be Aurors, and due to the fact of the war with the Dark Lord, were graduating in a couple months time, since the training period had moved from three years to only one. The Romanovs and Petrovs were very close friends, so I would be seeing the Romanovs frequently, as the two families gathered together to have dinner each evening, alternating between the houses. Well, the Petrovs didn't live in a regular house, but instead lived in the two floors of flats above their apothecary. Once Niko and Sarah got married, they would live in the top flat until they could afford to move to a place of their own.

When the Hogwarts Express arrived at Platform Nine-and-Three-Quarters, I looked out the window to see Maria and Tobias, plus two older couples that I assumed were the parents. Once we had gotten off the train, Ana and Niko went straight to one couple and hugged and kissed them. The man had raven black hair that was starting to go gray at the temples, dark brown eyes, and square glasses that looked a little like the ones Professor McGonagall wore. The woman had black hair with a few streaks of gray, done in a neat bun, and grass green eyes. Other than the eyes, she reminded me a bit of my own mother, especially as the woman wasn't a great beauty either, but had something about her that spoke of grace and compassion.

When Ana and Niko moved on to greet their sister and brother-in-law, the woman turned to me. "Hello, Severus," she said in slightly accented English. "I'm Ilsa Petrov and this is my husband Vladek. You may call us by my first names, except when you are working as my apprentice. Then you will have to call me 'Mrs. Petrov'." She then pulled me in a hug, longer than she had with her own children. I stiffened slightly, as I wasn't used to getting hugs from anyone other than my mother and Lily, but soon relaxed.

After that, Mr. Petrov shook my hand and then introduced me to Stephan's parents, Lise and Eli Romanov, who told me to call me by their first names if I felt comfortable doing so. Mrs. Romanov also hugged me, and I saw a sympathetic look in her eyes. "I am very sorry to hear that your mother died," she said, also in slightly accented English. "My father died when I was about your age, so I know what is like to lose a parent, Severus."

I simply nodded, not really knowing how to reply. A few minutes after that, the Petrovs and I left King's Cross Station and took a bus to Charing Cross Road, where the Leaky Cauldron was located. From there we used the entrance in the back courtyard to Diagon Alley, and then walked over to Petrov's Potions, the apothecary. A young woman in her early twenties, named Frances Malone, was taking care of the shop while the Petrovs had been at King's Cross.

Mrs. Petrov took me up to a bedroom on the first floor. It was a bit on the small side, but quite nice. It was papered in dark green and silver stripes, with a twin bed that had a green coverlet, a dresser, a small desk with a chair, a closet, and a window that looked out on the street. I set my trunk at the foot of the bed.

"You can get unpacked and settled in, Severus," Mrs. Petrov said in a kind voice. "Dinner is at six and the dining room is at the end of the hall, on your right. The bathroom is next door. Do you have any problem with the walls being green? They were originally blue and silver, but I thought you might prefer Slytherin colors, so I turned them green."

"They walls are fine, Mrs. Petrov," I replied, feeling touched that she went through the trouble to make sure my room was to my taste, even if it was only through the use of a simple Color-Changing Charm. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, dear," said Mrs. Petrov with a smile. Once she had left, I began unpacking my clothes and putting them away in the closet.

A few minutes before six, I went to the dining room, which was just large enough for a rectangular table with benches on the sides it. Stephan and Mr. Petrov were setting the table, while Mrs. Romanov, Mrs. Petrov, and Maria were bringing dishes of food from the kitchen. I offered to help, but Mrs. Petrov said, "That's all right, Severus. Everything is taken care of. You can help tomorrow, once I've shown you where the dishes and silverware and such are kept in the kitchen."

After the table was set, everyone sat down. Mrs. Petrov gestured for me to sit between her and Niko. Everyone folded their hands together and lowered their heads, which I quickly copied, and Mr. Petrov said, "We are thankful for the food we are about to eat and for all the blessings in our lives. May we continue to be blessed. Amen."

Everyone repeated the "Amen" and then looked up. Mrs. Petrov proceeded to fill my plate with chicken, steamed vegetables, and two slices of bread. "You need to eat," she said sternly. "You are much too thin, Severus. Have you been eating properly at all while you've been at Hogwarts?"

"I haven't had much appetite lately," I muttered in reply, which was the truth. I didn't really like eating in the Great Hall, since I found it too noisy for my taste, though the Marauders rarely bothered me at meals because of the teachers present, and I usually went to the kitchens to get food. However, after Mum died, I didn't feel like eating at all, and had even less desire to eat after Lily ended our friendship. In the past week, I hadn't eaten except when Niko had dragged me to either the Great Hall or the kitchens and forced me to eat something.

Mrs. Romanov frowned at this. "You still need to eat, Severus. I know terrible things have happened to you within this past year, but you can't just go around starving yourself. Niko, you're in the same house as him. Has he been eating at all the past few weeks?"

"Yes, Aunt Lise," answered Niko. "But only because I've been dragging him to the kitchens or the Great Hall and forcing him to eat something."

Mrs. Romanov shook her head, while Mrs. Petrov tsked. "Severus Snape, you are going to clean your plate and have seconds. Is that clear? I'm not having you wasting away to nothing."

"Yes, Mrs. Petrov," I replied, and started eating. The food was delicious, and I ended up having a better appetite than I had all week, for I cleaned my plate, ate the second helping Mrs. Petrov gave me, and had some fresh fruit and whipped cream for dessert.

When dinner ended, Tobias, Ana, and Sarah cleared the table and washed, dried, and put away the dishes. I offered to help again, but Mrs. Petrov said, "That's not necessary, Severus. There's a schedule as to who washes the dishes and tonight it's their turn. I'll just add you to the schedule tomorrow. Now, let's figure out the terms of your apprenticeship with me."

The two of us went to my room, where Mrs. Petrov drew up a sort of contract where it stated that for the next two months I would learn everything she could teach me about potion brewing and help her with brewing potions, and she would see to all my needs during that time. We both signed it, Mr. Romanov witnessed it, and a copy was filed away for evidence of my apprenticeship when I went to apply for my Potions Mastery in the future.

After that, Mrs. Petrov looked over my belongings, and shook her head when she saw my Muggle clothing. Since my family was poor, most of my Muggle clothing came from charity bins and the like, and they were mainly ill-fitting and rather worn. "You can't go around wearing that, Severus, and you can't wear robes all the time, either." Before I could protest against her buying me new clothing, no matter what the contract said about her seeing to my needs, she left the room. A few minutes later, she returned with a stack of clothing in her arms. "These belonged to Niko when he was sixteen, and they're still in good condition and should fit you."

"Thank you, Mrs. Petrov," I said in shock, taking the clothes from her. They turned out to be three pairs of trousers, in forest green, navy blue, and dark grey, and four shirts, also in dark colors, presumably so that stains wouldn't show like they would in lighter colors, which was practical when brewing potions.

When the clothes were put away, I was informed that breakfast was at eight o'clock, the apothecary opened at nine, and that I could start the duties of my apprenticeship then, unless I needed to take a day or two to rest and recover from the school year. My day was to end at four, so that I had time to do my summer homework and to relax a bit. My evenings after dinner were also free, though I had to be back at the apothecary by ten.

"I'm fine with starting tomorrow, Mrs. Petrov," I told her. "Work will take my mind off things."

"All right dear," she said. "I'll leave you to yourself now. Good-night, Severus."

When she left, I took out a book to read, and at ten o'clock, went to bed.


	2. The First Day and Revelations

I woke up at seven in the morning. After lying in bed for a few minutes, I got up and went to the bathroom to shower and brush my teeth. When that was done, I got dressed in the forest green trousers and shirt that Mrs. Petrov had given me last night and then went to the kitchen. Ana was stirring a pot of what looked like oatmeal, Mr. Petrov was making toast, Niko was taking milk, butter, and honey out of a cabinet that had a Cooling Charm on it, and Mrs. Petrov and Sarah were taking bowls and cups out.

"Good morning, Severus," said Mrs. Petrov when she saw me. "Did you sleep well?" I nodded and she pointed to a drawer. "Silverware is in there. You can set out the spoons and a couple of knives for the butter on the kitchen table. We only use the dining room for dinner or if there are guests."

I took a handful of spoons and two butter knives from the drawer and then set them on the kitchen table, which had six chairs around it. A couple minutes after that, the oatmeal was ready and Ana scooped it out into bowls, which Sarah and Niko brought over to the table. I took the plate with the stacks of toast over, and then everyone sat down. Mrs. Petrov said a short grace, and then she poured some milk and spooned some honey into my oatmeal. She also handed me two slices of toast and Sarah pushed the crock of butter and jar of strawberry jam over to me to spread on the toast. Mr. Petrov handed me a glass of orange juice, ignoring my protest that I could pour it myself.

I began eating my breakfast, which was very good, and felt a little uncomfortable over how nice the Petrovs and Sarah were being to me, even if Mrs. Petrov treated her kids the exact same way she treated me, including the whole adding milk and honey to their oatmeal. Without my having to ask, she refilled my bowl when I was done and gave me some more toast.

After breakfast, Niko and Sarah cleared the table and washed the dishes. Mrs. Petrov had me help her get the apothecary ready for opening, while Mr. Petrov went to work, which was a desk job at the wizarding bank, Gringotts. Frances Malone and the one other employee, Brian Highmore, showed up ten minutes to nine. Brian was new, for my mother had worked at Petrov's Potions before she had fallen ill and died, and he was hired in her place. He helped Mrs. Petrov brew potions, while Frances filled prescriptions and ran the cash register. Mrs. Petrov introduced me to them, and Frances said sympathetically, "I am very sorry about your mother. She was a wonderful woman, and very good at brewing Potions."

At precisely nine o'clock, the apothecary was open for business. I followed Mrs. Petrov and Brian to the Potions lab located in the back. The walls were completely covered with shelves and cupboards of potion ingredients, empty flasks and bottles, and full ones of potions. There were two tables to prepare ingredients on, complete with mortars, pestles, and knives, and another table set up with four cauldrons and several stirrers.

"Brian, please start a batch of Nutrient Potion," directed Mrs. Petrov. "Severus, come with me. I need to determine what supplies and books relating to Potions you have, and then see how much you know already." She looked over my books and supplies, not commenting on the fact that they were either secondhand or had once belonged to my mother. She did comment on the fact that I had made notes in the margins of the books, asking if I had made them or the previous owner had. Once she had ascertained that I had made the notes, she looked rather impressed at the fact that I was improving on potion receipts, and added, "I also have a habit of making notes in my books, especially when I don't have my commonplace book handy and I am in too big of a hurry to summon it. However, I do transcribe everything into my notebooks later on."

Since she had a few blank notebooks lying around, she insisted on giving me one to use as my commonplace book. It was quite thick, and she inscribed my name on the dark green cover with magic. After that, she spent half an hour quizzing me on the theoretical part of Potions, looking quite impressed when she was done. "Your knowledge is almost as great as your mother's, Severus. And you appear to be quite as brilliant as Niko said about you. Now, let's have you brew something."

She took down a book, flipped through it, and then stopped at a page. "Here, you can brew an Extra-Strength Fever Reducer." She handed the book to me, which turned out to be one of her notebooks, as the contents were hand-written, either copied from a book or recipes that she had improved in some way. The potion she was having me brew wasn't a terribly complicated one, so I had little chance of messing it up in some way, but neither was it so simple as to be construed as an insult against my abilities.

I was in the process of gathering the necessary ingredients, when Mrs. Petrov said, "Just summon them, Severus. It saves time having to hunt for them, especially as you don't know how I've arranged them. It's alphabetical, by the way. And don't worry about not being of age to do magic outside of school. The Ministry won't be able to detect it, since you're in a magical household, and one that's in Diagon Alley at that. Just don't use magic outside of the apothecary except in dire situations."

"All right, Mrs. Petrov," I replied. I summoned the ingredients and started work on the potion, while Mrs. Petrov began brewing an antidote of some sort. I concentrated on my work, which was soothing in a way as it took my mind off my troubles. Two hours later, I was done, and she inspected my work.

"Excellent work, Severus," she said. "And I do not give out compliments lightly. I only give them when they are deserved."

I felt my face heat up a bit, for I wasn't used to being complimented. Only my mother and Lily had praised me frequently. Well, Professor Slughorn had praised my ability in Potions in first year, but after that, he started taking it for granted and so rarely thought to compliment me anymore.

Mrs. Petrov gestured at a shelf of empty bottles and several floated over to her and landed on the table. "Would you bottle up the Fever Reducer, please?" She then saw my startled look and explained, "That was a combination of wandless magic and a non-verbal spell. All Hogwarts students learn how to do non-verbal spells in sixth-year. Wandless magic, however, is mostly limited to the _Romany _people, other than the things children do before they start school and learn to use a wand." She glanced at Brian, and after seeing that he was completely engrossed in his potion, offered in a whisper, "I would be willing to teach you wandless magic, Severus. Since you are my apprentice and all."

"I would like that, Mrs. Petrov," I answered, intrigued.

"We can start tomorrow afternoon then." Then in a louder voice, she said, "All right, please bottle up the Fever Reducer, Severus, and clean up. I'm going to go make lunch."

Lunch turned out to be chicken and roast beef sandwiches, salad, and tomato soup. Mrs. Petrov took care of the register and filling prescriptions while Frances ate her lunch. When Frances went back to work, Mrs. Petrov had lunch, and asked me to sit with her so that we could have a private talk.

"Severus, I know I'm not your mother, nor could I ever take her place, but if you need someone to talk to, feel free to talk with me. I may not have lost the friendship of my best friend, but I can sympathize with you on other matters and will do my best to help you."

Unfortunately, I wasn't in the mood for any sympathy or pity, and without thinking, rather rudely said, "I don't need your pity. Besides, I bet you never lost a parent." I then realized what I had said and attempted to apologize, but before I could say more than "Mrs. Petrov, I didn't-", she interrupted me.

"It's quite all right, Severus. I've snapped at other people before. Now, let me explain. Both my parents are dead, and I have suffered before, and not just the regular sort of prejudice _Romany_ people have been facing from _Gejos_, that is, non-Gypsies, for centuries. You know about World War Two and the Holocaust, correct?"

"Yes, but wasn't the Holocaust targeted mainly at Jewish people?" I asked.

"While Jewish people were a main target, other groups of people that Adolf Hitler considered to be 'subhuman' or disliked in some way were also targeted, which included the _Roma_, as well as Slavic people, homosexuals, Communists, those that were deaf or otherwise disabled, and some Catholic nuns and priests," responded Mrs. Petrov. "My family, being _Roma_, were targeted, and as my parents were Squibs and my brother and I were too young to have been fully trained in advanced magic, we could not protect ourselves with magic. So we were shipped off to the concentration camps, along with a number of other _Romany _families. My father, being older than forty-five, was sent off to the gas chambers immediately. My brother Nikolas died a few days before liberation, according to Vladek, who was friends with him. Niko is named after my brother, by the way. My mother, whom Maria is named after, became ill with typhus after about a year in the camps, and I was powerless to save her. It's not as if I had any way to brew any potions to help her, and she was already becoming weaker before that. I survived due to luck, strength, and the fact that Lise and I were best friends and stuck together. If either of us had been alone, no doubt we would have given up long before and become one of the millions that perished in the Holocaust. My husband's parents also died, and Ana is named after Vladek's mother."

"Millions of people died in the Holocaust?" I asked in shock, for I hadn't known that.

"Yes. At least six millions Jewish people died, and almost as many other people that didn't fit Hitler's idea of the 'Aryan race'. And some, like Lise's father, survived the camps only to die shortly after because they weren't used to the regular food given to them and became sick. In short, the camps were completely horrible. You-Know-Who may be a monster who is like Hitler in many ways, but he at least isn't rounding up Muggleborns and shipping them off to concentration camps, where they are starved and worked to death."

I winced at that, and then said, "Mrs. Petrov, I'm really sorry. About snapping at you and about everything you've been through. I wish you never had gone through it."

"The past cannot be changed, Severus," said Mrs. Petrov. "I have accepted it and moved on with my life. After the war, I married Vladek and Lise married Eli and the four of us moved to England. I obtained my Potions Mastery, Vladek and I worked and saved our money for a few years until we had enough to start the apothecary, and then we had our children. Prejudice against the _Roma _isn't as prevalent anymore, except for certain old pureblood families that are probably Voldemort supporters or at least agree with his views." She paused to take a few spoonfuls of soup, then continued, "We just have to accept our history and learn from it. Otherwise we are doomed to repeat it, as the proverb goes."

"But why did it have to happen in the first place? Why couldn't people have tried to stop things before it got all out of hand?"

"Things happen for a reason, Severus. As for the specific case with Hitler, he was charismatic enough to get most of the German population to blame the Jews for their problems, and then turned on others he also considered to be 'subhuman'. Britian and France weren't interested in getting into another war, so they did nothing to stop Germany until he invaded Poland and they realized he was going too far. Anyway, while I do wish I had never undergone the Holocaust, I also feel that it has made me a stronger person. Which is why I am not afraid to say Voldemort's name. I only say 'You-Know-Who' out of consideration to other people, who are scared of the name. After what the Nazis put me through, there is little I can't handle."

I kept my mouth shut, as I didn't know what to say to that, and I had absolutely no idea as to the reason why my father had to be an abusive bastard to me or why the Marauders, minus Lupin, had to bully me. Well, other than the 'reasons' that I existed and could do magic, that is. I suppose it had made me a stronger person in some respects, but it just showed me that I had nobody I could really depend upon, especially with my mother dead and Lily ending the friendship. Even though Mrs. Petrov was nice and told me that I could come to her, I didn't know her well enough to do so. Still, she had been a good employer to my mother and kept my family from starving. She couldn't exactly afford to pay high wages and so made up for it by providing her employees with a large lunch, and giving them the plentiful leftovers to take home with them. There had always been enough for me to have a decent dinner.

Mrs. Petrov regarded me silently for a few minutes as she ate her chicken sandwich. Finally she spoke once more, "Never give up hope, Severus. You are young and very talented, and even if you feel now that the world is against you, you still have a future ahead of you. Your mother would not want you to give up, would she? I was heartbroken when my mother died, but I knew she would not want me to give up and become a _Musselman_, which is a term that people in the camps used to call those that had given up all will to live. The same was true for Lise when her mother died, and the two of us comforted each other and got through it all."

"But you had your best friend with you," I pointed out. "Mine ended the friendship after the stupid mistake I made."

"You still aren't alone in the world, Severus," returned Mrs. Petrov. "My husband and I care about you, and not just because you're my apprentice or that your mother worked for me. My son and daughters also care, as well as the Romanovs. Our homes are always open to you and you may come to us for anything."

"Thank you, Mrs. Petrov," I said quietly. She smiled and patted me on the arm, then proceeded to finish her soup and take her dirty dishes to the sink.

"All right, Severus, why don't you go back to the lab and start working on a Pepper-Up Potion? I'll join you in a few minutes once I've cleaned the dishes. _Scourgify_!" The last was directed at the dishes in the sink, which magically cleaned themselves in a blink of an eye. I went downstairs as Mrs. Petrov began putting the dishes away.

As I prepared the ingredients necessary for the Pepper-Up Potion, I thought over what Mrs. Petrov had told me. I was grateful that she seemed to genuinely care for me, and amazed that she had survived such horrors. While I didn't know much about the Holocaust, I knew enough to know that the concentration camps had been awful places, and what she had said implied that they were even worse than I thought. My life had never been a completely wonderful one, but other than the time when Black tricked me into going down the passageway the Whomping Willow concealed, I had never been in any situation where I could very well die.

At four o'clock I was dimissed from my duties and I went upstairs to my room to get started on my summer homework. To my surprise, there was a journal on the desk, this one with dark blue covers and a magical lock that could only be opened by tapping your wand on it and saying a password. An accompanying note was from Mrs. Petrov, who explained how to set and change a password and that she found it helpful to write down her thoughts and feelings and perhaps it would do the same for me. After some thought, I set the password as "dittany" and then spent the next half hour writing it in it. It did turn out to be helpful, and with the lock, I could be sure that nobody else would be able to read my private ramblings.

After that, I got started on my Transfiguration homework, and worked until a few minutes before six, when I Flooed over to the Romanov house for dinner with the Petrovs and Sarah. I privately thanked Mrs. Petrov for the journal, who beamed and said that it was nothing.

Supper was very good, and Mrs. Romanov gave second and third helpings of everything. After, I was allowed to help clear the table, but was excused from having to help wash or dry the dishes. Like Mrs. Petrov, Mr. and Mrs. Romanov told me that I was free to come to them if I needed someone to talk to about anything. They also gave me permission to borrow books, both Muggle and magical, from their large collection. I thanked them and ended up borrowing a book.

When I returned to the apothecary later that evening, I read the book until ten o'clock. At that point, I brushed my teeth and went to bed, wishing that my family had been like the Petrovs and Romanovs.


	3. The Proceeding Days

The next day, Mrs. Petrov decided to have me start brewing potions that I had never brewed before, under her supervision. She took my copy of _Advanced Potion-Making_, which had once belonged to my mother, looked through it, and then had me start with the Draught of Living Death. Partway through my work, I discovered that it was rather difficult to cut up the sopophorus bean needed for the potion. Since I had already discovered that crushing things often worked better to release the juices instead of cutting, I picked up a silver dagger and crushed the bean with the flat side. Immediately it exuded a fair amount of juice, more than what I would have expected from the shriveled bean.

I quickly added the juice to the cauldron. The potion immediately turned the exact shade of lilac described by the book. Mrs. Petrov gave me an approving nod. "Very good, Severus. I'm glad that you are using your brain and figuring out a better method."

Pleased with the compliment, I scribbled a note about crushing rather than cutting in the margin of my book and then read the next line of instructions, which was to stir counterclockwise until the potion turned clear as water. Mrs. Petrov said, "I've discovered that adding a clockwise stir after every seventh counterclockwise stir works wonders. You might want to try that."

I followed her suggestion and the effect was immediate, the potion turning a pale pink. After a number of more stirs, the potion turned clear. I made a note of Mrs. Petrov's suggestion as she examined my work. "It is...adequate, Severus. Well, it is actually more than that, but if I compliment you too much, then my compliments become meaningless."

I bottled up the potion, and then cleaned up while Mrs. Petrov went to make lunch. I ended up manning the apothecary under her supervision when Frances and Brian took their lunch break. When they returned to work, I had lunch with Mrs. Petrov, so that we could talk privately while we ate. "You home life isn't the greatest, is it, Severus?" she asked.

I didn't say anything at first, partly because my mouth was full and partly because I didn't want to answer the question. Finally I said, "What gave you that idea, Mrs. Petrov?"

"Your mother worked for me," she reminded me. "She once mentioned that her husband, your father, didn't much care for magic. And Niko has told me that you have never talked about your father except for the one time about him being a Muggle, which means that you have nothing good to say about him. You've also stiffened when I hugged you, which means that you aren't used to such things, and you flinched slightly when I patted you on the arm yesterday, which means you have probably been physically abused."

I purposely took a large mouthful of beef stew to give me some time to think of what to say. I knew there was little point in lying or trying to deny it, since Mrs. Petrov had already figured out the truth. When I finished chewing and swallowing, I muttered, "My father started hating magic a few years after he married my mother. Then he started drinking and taking it out on me when he was drunk and Mum wasn't around to protect me."

"You should have never undergone that, Severus," said Mrs. Petrov quietly, a look of sorrow and pain on her face. "Well, at least you are here as my apprentice and not spending the summer with your father without any protection now that your mother's gone."

I shuddered at the thought, since I had wondered if I would survive the summer before Niko had asked me to spend the holidays at his home and be his mother's apprentice. Mrs. Petrov patted me on the arm, ignoring my flinch, and said gently, "You are safe here. And I do know what it is like to be physically abused."

I looked up at her. "Because of the Holocaust," I stated. "I'm awed that you, Mr. Petrov, and Mr. and Mrs. Romanov actually survived it."

"Well, we did have magic," she pointed out. "And we weren't alone. If you had friends or relatives with you, your chances of survival were better. Still, it was a close thing, and if the war hadn't ended when it did and I was stuck in the camps for much longer, I could have very well not survived. A good many of the guards and other people in charge were quite sadistic. At one of the barracks I was put in for a time, the woman in charge of it liked to randomly select a few people at the evening roll call and punish them for no real reason. She would beat them, and half the time she would also make them kneel for the duration of roll call and raise their arms. Since roll call always lasted for at least an hour or two, that was not pleasant. There was one girl that had to hold a pair of rocks up in the air. The beast that ordered the punishment threatened to shoot her if she lowered her arms before roll call ended. Fortunately she kept her arms raised, so Irma had no excuse to kill her. Irma Grese was one of the top people in the camp of Auschwitz, by the way. I believe she was the second-highest ranking woman there. She was quite young, about twenty, I think, and outwardly looked pretty, but inwardly she was a complete monster."

"That's just awful!" I exclaimed in horror. At least my father had never done more that smack me or hit me with his belt, and either Lily, Niko, a teacher, and occasionally Lupin stopped James and Sirius from ever going too far with their bullying of me.

Mrs. Petrov sighed deeply. "Yes, Severus. Now, let us talk about other things. I don't wish to give you nightmares about the Holocaust, and it is rather difficult for me to talk about my experiences." She then turned the subject to potions.

In the afternoon, I brewed a couple of potions that the apothecary was low on, and then Mrs. Petrov gave me a lesson on wandless magic. It consisted of me given a quill pen, and trying to focus my magic on it while I said the Levitation Charm. After an hour, I had no success in getting the quill to levitate, but it did flop around the table a bit, which meant I was getting close to succeeding. "You're almost there, Severus," said Mrs. Petrov encouragingly. "Go take a break and do something else for the time being, and you can practice some more after dinner. And here's a Headache Potion for you, because you might get a slight headache when you first start attempting wandless magic."

I thanked her and then went upstairs to do some homework until dinnertime.

The rest of the week passed in a similar manner. I started work on the Polyjuice Potion, under Mrs. Petrov's guidance, and when we didn't have to concentrate on it, I helped her brew various potions for the apothecary. I was able to do the Levitation Charm wandlessly the second day, and progressed to trying to clean the dishes using the _Scourgify_ spell wandlessly, change the color of things (which was quite easy, since I had done it with Lily before we had gotten our Hogwarts letters), and enlarge and shrink objects.

In the evenings, Mr. Petrov would spend up to half an hour talking with me, on the premise that there would be things I would feel more comfortable talking to a male about. At first I was little uncomfortable, but I soon relaxed, and wished that my father could have been like him. Niko and Stephan also spent some time with me. Tobias was too busy completing his Auror training to have much free time, which I didn't mind, as he happened to have the same first name as my father and I felt a bit nervous around him as a result. The nervousness abated somewhat when he told me to just call him "Toby" for short. I found my time with the Petrovs quite soothing, and enjoyed it immensely.


	4. The Wedding and a Conversation

Author's Note: To anonymous reviewer Alex- I completely agree with your points, but at this point in time Severus Snape has a rather low self-esteem in some areas, and after hearing what other people underwent in the Holocaust, he feels that his experiences don't really compare. However, he is going to be set straight, and realize that the bullying and abuse he went through is really quite horrible. As for Lupin, Snape hates him for not doing more to stop his friends, but does acknowledge that Lupin did very occasionally try to stop James and Sirius. As for the whole Whomping Willow incident, at this point, Snape feels that Lupin had nothing to do with it, but after years in which to brood over Lily's death and feeling that the Marauders were partly responsible for it, he could very well forget that and think that all the Marauders were in on it, not just Sirius.

One evening, after dinner, I went to the tiny room where the Petrovs kept their 'library' to get another book to read. While perusing the shelves, I came across one that had no title on the spine. Curious, I removed it from the shelf and saw that the red cover had no title on it anywhere. I flipped it open to discover that it was in Mrs. Petrov's handwriting, and everything in it was not in English, but instead in what I suspected was either in the _Roma_ language or an Eastern European one. I looked back at the shelf and saw another three books, also with no title on the spine. I replaced the book I was holding and took down the other three. The blue one was in Mr. Petrov's handwriting, and appeared to be written in the same language as in the first one. The other two, one with green covers and the other with yellow, were also written by Mr. and Mrs. Petrov, these in English, and I had a feeling they were a translation of the first two books.

Since the Petrovs had given me permission to read any book in their library, I started reading the English one that Mr. Petrov wrote. However, after the first couple of pages, I realized that it was an account of his experiences in the Holocaust. I quickly flipped through the one that Mrs. Petrov wrote, and as I thought, it turned out to be about her experiences. After some hesitation, I picked up the green book again and resumed reading. However, after reading about Mr. Petrov and the other males with him being forced to remove their clothes, getting their hair shaved off, herded into the showers, and after the shower given clothing and shoes without any regard for size, I set the account down, feeling rather ill. I immediately thought back to the incident a few weeks ago, where I had lost Lily's friendship. After I had called Lily the unforgiveable word and she had strode off, James had held me upside down and asked if anyone wanted to see him remove my underpants. If Niko hadn't appeared on the scene right then and put a stop to it, I suspected that James really would have removed my pants.

Mr. Petrov found me there a minute later. "Are you all right, Severus?" he asked. Then he spotted the book in my hands. "Oh. My children and Sarah had the same reaction when they read the accounts Ilsa and I wrote about out experiences in the concentration camps." He sat down on the other chair in the room.

"How did you put up with it?" I burst out. "You were humiliated upon arrival, and I bet the women also had to strip and get their hair shaved off before entering the showers. And Mrs. Petrov said that people were worked or starved to death, or died of disease or got sent to the gas chambers because they were so sick. Nothing I went through-"

"Severus Snape, do not think like that," interrupted Mr. Petrov firmly. "What you went though is quite awful. All right, you may not have been in any danger of death, as far as I know, but you were definitely abused and humiliated. Niko said that he caught one of the Marauders hanging you upside down and threatening to remove your underpants, and if he hadn't put a stop to it, your pants probably would have been taken off. And I am sure there are many incidents that Niko didn't witness and put a stop to."

"Yes, but Lily also rescued me from some, and Lupin would occasionally keep his friends from going too far," I protested.

"And just what is 'going too far', Severus?" snapped Mr. Petrov. "Losing a limb? Being paralyzed and unable to walk? Being subjected to the Cruciatus Curse several times? I understand that you might think that what you went through doesn't compare to what I or anyone else that were in the camps suffered through, but you need to stop thinking like that."

"But-"

"No buts, Severus. Do you want the Marauders to remove all your clothes and hex your hair off? Do you want your father to become so drunk that he takes a knife to you or beats you until pass out? Because those with evil or cruel minds have done things like that. Without your mother to protect you, I wouldn't put it past your father to do exactly what I said. I'm not saying that you should go around wallowing in self-pity, but neither should you think that others had it worse, when your situation is already bad enough."

I didn't say anything, but I nodded slowly and remembered the Whomping Willow incident. I wasn't about to tell Mr. Petrov about it, but I had to admit that at that time, I had been in danger of death (or being turned into a werewolf), and only escaped it because Potter had rescued me. Of course, he probably did it to save his own skin, since I had no doubt that he was in on the prank, even if Black had been the one to reveal how to get past the Whomping Willow and into the secret passageway it concealed. Black should have been expelled for it, or at least suspended, but all he'd gotten was two weeks of detention and a hundred points taken from Gryffindor. Professor Dumbledore had been very angry over what had happened, but he had also seemed to be more concerned in making sure that I wouldn't reveal that Lupin was actually a werewolf.

Mr. Petrov patted me on the shoulder and then left the room. A few minutes later, Mrs. Petrov appeared, a concerned look on her face. Without saying a word, she quickly strode to my side and enveloped me in a hug. After a minute, she moved one hand to stroke my hair like my mother used to do when I was little. I closed my eyes and imagined that it was my mother holding me for a moment. Finally Mrs. Petrov broke the silence.

"You mustn't ever think that you are in any way lesser than anyone else, Severus. You have suffered things no person should ever have to experience. You shouldn't have been abused by your father or bullied at school. But you have remained strong through all of that and survived it, so try to move on past it."

I simply nodded, unable to say anything else. Well, I could have protested again that she went through worse, but like her husband, Mrs. Petrov would just tell me not to think like that.

She continued, "Look, Severus, Jews and Gypsies do not have a monopoly on suffering, even if we have been discriminated against for centuries previously. Other people have also suffered awful things. Blacks, for example, were once slaves. Britain abolished slavery in the early 1800's, but the United States, or the southern part at any rate, still had them. After they fought an entire war over it and the fact that most of the southern states decided to seperate and form their own country, slavery was abolished, but even then, blacks still were treated unequally to whites. Or look at how Britain treated the Indians when they had control of India. And there are any number of children who, like you, are being abused by their parents or guardians. The best that can be said for you was that you only had to experience physical abuse and some mental or emotional abuse, and not anything worse than that. Er, you didn't experience any other forms of abuse, did you? Because I don't think I can really help you with that, since I've never gone through it or know anyone who has."

I understood what she was getting at and hastened to assure her that I hadn't been sexually abused in any way. Mrs. Petrov sighed deeply after that. "I suppose we must be thankful for that, but honestly, you really should have had a perfectly regular and happy childhood. But things happen for a reason, and we just have deal with it. Are you feeling better, Severus? I don't mind staying longer with you, but I do have to check up on our Polyjuice Potion before going to bed, and Ana can't do it because she's helping Sarah with the wedding."

"I'm fine," I replied. "You can go check up on the Polyjuice Potion."

She managed a wan smile, then patted me on my arm and departed. I replaced the two books back on the shelf, for I had little desire at the moment to read any further, and went to my room to write in my journal.

The next morning, my O.W.L. results arrived. I had received an Outstanding in all my subjects, except for an Exceeds Expectations in Arithmancy and Herbology. Mr. and Mrs. Petrov were very pleased when I told them my results, and told me that I could have whatever dessert I wanted for a week as a reward. Niko commented that I had done better than him, for he had gotten an Exceeds Expectation on his Astronomy, Ancient Runes, and History of Magic O.W.L.s in addtion to his Herbology one. Ana added that she had only gotten Outstanding on her Potions, Charms, Divination, History of Magic, and Transfiguration O.W.L.s, and an Exceeds Expectations in everything else.

Two weeks later, Sarah and Niko had their wedding ceremony, which was a mix between Jewish and _Romany_ traditions and held in the backyard of the Romanov home. It was fairly small, with only family and friends present. Ana and Stephan were the maid of honor and best man, and to my utter surprise, Niko had asked me to be a groomsman with a close friend of his, a Gryffindor named Frank Longbottom that had been in the same year as him. Frank's girlfriend, Alice Prewett, who was a friend of Lily's and friends with Sarah due to the fact that the older girl had tutored her in Transfiguration and Defense Against Dark Arts, was a regular bridesmaid. Alice looked very surprised when she saw me, which was quickly followed by a look of distaste, for she had never really understood why Lily and I had been friends, and no doubt hated me now for what I had said that had ended the friendship. However, she didn't say anything to me, probably as to not cause a scene, and after Ana had whispered something, which most likely was an explanation as to why I was there, Alice nodded in understanding.

Sarah looked beautiful in a white gown with gold and scarlet embroidery made in the _Romany_ style. Her dark gold hair was braided and and was covered by a white lace veil with gold and scarlet threads running through. Niko didn't wear dress robes, but instead wore a fine white shirt with gold embroidery, a crimson sash, and dark gold trousers. A wedding canopy, which I later learned was called a _chuppah_ in Hebrew, was held over the couple. A rabbi, who also happened to be a Squib, conducted the Jewish portion of the ceremony, which involved an exchange of rings, a reciting of seven blessings followed by the bride and groom drinking from a cup of wine, and Niko breaking a glass at the end. The rabbi then moved to one side and Mr. Romanov, who qualified as a _Romany_ elder, stepped forward and took over for the Gypsy part.

In this part, Sarah and Niko vowed to be true to each other, then their wrists were tied together with a white cord. In the old days, the two were also supposed to make a small cut in their wrists and mingle the blood together, but they had decided against it. After that, they exchanged bread and salt and ate it. Apparently this was to symbolize their harmonious future together. There were other customs too, but most of them were rather old-fashioned and the two didn't bother with them. Finally, the cord around their wrists was untied, cut in two, and a half given to each. The custom with that was that the cord had to be kept for two years, and after that, if they wished to divorce, it would have to presented to the elder that performed the marriage in order to dissolve it.

A feast followed the ceremony, with great quantities of food and plenty to drink, though I stuck with butterbeer and fruit punch and only had a very small quantity of wine to drink a toast to the married couple. As was customary in _Romany_ culture, Niko and Sarah were mostly given gifts of money. I gave them a small pouch with two Galleons (all that I could spare from my very small hoard of coins), and a rose-scented perfume that I had made.

Mr. and Mrs. Petrov presented the two with a beautifully made caravan of dark green with white trim, which I found out was called a _vardo_ in the _Roma_ language. The _vardo_ was for the two to use on their honeymoon, since they obviously weren't planning to spend their life traveling around like most _Roma_. After the feast, Niko shrunk the _vardo_ to the size of a toy for easy portage, and then he and Sarah took a Portkey to the location in Ireland where they were going spend their honeymoon for two weeks. When it ended, they would return and settle in the second floor above the apothecary for the time being, since it was also custom for the couple to live with the husband's family until they had their first child, though Mr. and Mrs. Petrov didn't insist on that and said that Niko and Sarah were free to move out once they could afford a place of their own.

I changed out of the green and silver dress robes (that had once belonged to Niko and were still quite new, since he had only worn them twice) that Mrs. Petrov had given me to wear, and went to bed, having thoroughly enjoyed the wedding ceremony.

Author's Note: I did some research on Jewish and _Romany_ wedding customs before writing this, so the wedding ceremonies described in this chapter should be accurate. If there are any errors, I apologize.


	5. The Summer's End and Hogwarts

August passed quite pleasantly. The Polyjuice Potion was finally completed, and Mrs. Petrov allowed me to test it out with a hair that Stephen donated. Therefore, for one hour I was a copy of Stephen, but it wasn't that exciting, since I spent the hour brewing a potion that was the wizarding equivalent of a cough syrup. Mrs. Petrov taught me to brew numerous other potions, most of which were found in _Advanced Potion-Making_. The only potion in the book that we didn't do was Felix Felicis, which allowed the drinker to have good luck, and that was due to the fact that it took several months to brew. However, she had some that she had made before, so she went over it with me, and had me take a several drops, enough to make me lucky for an hour or so. The experience was quite wonderful. I found two Galleons someone had dropped when I walked around Diagon Alley, and at Flourish and Blotts came across a new Potions book that neither Mrs. Petrov and I had and was on sale. The money I had found was enough to pay for two copies, with a Sickle and twelve Knuts change, and I gave Mrs. Petrov one copy as a thank-you for all that she done for me.

Niko and Sarah returned from their honeymoon and moved into the top floor. Niko started his training as a Healer in St. Mungo's, while Sarah got a desk job at the Ministry, in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Unlike some Romany families, the Petrovs and Romanovs did not believe that women should only be housewives. This did mean more income for the family, but I doubted that was the reason they encouraged Maria, Sarah, and Ana to have careers.

All too soon it was time to return to Hogwarts. Stephen and Niko gave me some of their textbooks that they had used in sixth year, Mrs. Petrov replenished my potion supplies out of the stock for the apothecary, and Mr. Petrov insisted on giving me twenty Galleons, saying that I had earned it through the regular potions I had brewed for the apothecary. The two families saw me off on the Hogwarts Express, with Mrs. Petrov telling me that I was invited over for the Christmas holidays and Mrs. Romanov adding that I was free to come to them for anything.

I spent the train ride in a compartment with several other Slytherins, who left me alone after congratulating me on giving up being friends with the 'Mudblood girl' and asking about my summer. I managed to keep from snapping at them over what they had called Lily, and brusquely told them that I had spent the summer as an apprentice to a Potions Mistress, since I planned to get a Potions Mastery. They didn't ask who she was, which was a relief, for even though Niko was a Slytherin, he was still a Gypsy, and most of the pureblood Slytherins still considered Gypsies to be on the same level as halfbloods, if not Muggleborns.

The next three months at Hogwarts passed by rather quickly. I had signed up to take N.E.W.T.-level Potions, Transfiguration, Defense Against Dark Arts, Herbology, Arithmancy, and Charms. As Mrs. Petrov had told me, sixth-years started learning how to do non-verbal spells, and thanks to the lessons that she and Mr. Petrov had given me, it wasn't too difficult. Professors McGonagall and Flitwick were quite impressed during my first classes with them, and awarded points to Slytherin.

Since I no longer was friends with Lily, I had no choice but to spend my time outside of classes and homework with only the other Slytherins. I had already started hanging out with them the year before, but now I was spending more time around them. They were quite enthusiastic in their support of the Dark Lord, and while I avoided doing anything to the Muggleborn students at Hogwarts, I found myself listening and saying that I agreed to almost everything they said.

Mrs. Petrov and Mrs. Romanov took turns sending me weekly packages of food, spelled so that they wouldn't spoil, which I ate, since I still didn't feel much like going to the Great Hall at mealtimes. Both families also sent me letters, asking how I was doing and telling me about things going on in their life. In October, Sarah sent a letter telling me that she was pregnant. I sent her a letter congratulating her on the news and a potion that I had brewed to help with morning sickness.

In December Mrs. Petrov sent a written invitation to visit for the Christmas holidays, following up from her verbal one. I accepted and spent the two weeks with the Petrovs. I was installed back in the guest room, and had a nice time. Mrs. Petrov and Mrs. Romanov stuffed me with food, and I got a number of fine presents from the two families. Besides the set of robes, scarf, hat, and gloves that Mr. and Mrs. Romanov gave me, I got a book on potion-brewing, another on plants, a new journal, a new commonplace book, and some supplies for brewing, which included some rare and expensive potion ingredients from Ana, who had obtained her Potions mastery and was now working at the apothecary.

Ana and Stephen also got married two days before the New Year's, and their wedding ceremony was completely Romany. Niko was best man, and I was asked to be a groomsman with Tobias. There was no bridesmaid, but Sarah acted as matron of honor.

Ana wore a white gown with silver and blue embroidery made in the Romany style, with the veil borrowed from Sarah, and Stephen wore a white shirt with silver embroidery, a dark blue sash, and navy blue trousers. I wore the midnight blue dress robes that I had been gifted. Since it was winter, the wedding was held indoors, and like the one that Sarah and Niko had, it consisted of only family and close friends.

With the war becoming increasingly worse, Ana and Stephen chose not to go on a proper honeymoon, but instead spent two days at a hotel in Gretna Green, the popular place for elopements among British Muggles, before moving in with Stephen's parents. In fact, they moved into the rooms that Maria and Tobias had recently vacated, for the two were now full Aurors and had moved into a flat of their own.

After the holidays, I returned to Hogwarts, where I buried myself in my schoolwork.

Author's Note: I'm sorry about the length and quality of this chapter, but I had to come up with something for this fic before I get to the part where Snape graduates Hogwarts and makes the mistake of joining Voldemort. I promise that the next chapter will be longer and more interesting.


	6. The Final Year at Hogwarts

When the summer holidays arrived, I didn't go back to Spinner's End, but instead returned to the Petrovs to be Mrs. Petrov's apprentice again. Sarah and Niko had given birth to a daughter on June 8th, named Vera Magda, the former after Sarah's maternal grandmother, who had died when Sarah was thirteen and her only family member that had no problem with her being a witch, and the latter of Mr. Petrov's older sister (and Niko's aunt), who had perished in the Holocaust at the age of twenty-one with her two-year old son. Ana and Stephen were godparents. Sarah and Niko had moved out at this point, and were living in a small house of their own, bought with the money that Sarah's grandmother had left her, what they had saved up for the past year, and the gift from Niko's parents.

Brian was no longer working at the apothecary, having found a new job at the Ministry. Ana had taken over his work, and in fact was now virtually co-owner with her mother, since she got half of the profits and helped make some decisions regarding the running of the apothecary. That was only natural, since unlike Maria, who was also skilled enough at Potions to obtain a Mastery in it, Ana had a passion for brewing and would therefore take over the apothecary when Mrs. Petrov either retired or died.

I learned some more things about the Petrov family over the summer. Apparently every female of Mrs. Petrov's line had some form of the Sight. In Mrs. Petrov's case, she could read palms and crystal balls, and what she saw of the future came true unless the person in question did something in the present to change it. Maria could read tea leaves and got visions of the future every so often. She couldn't control them, though she tended to get more visions connected to those close to her more often than of anything else, and if the present events didn't change, then her visions would come true. Ana could read tarot cards accurately, and she occasionally made prophecies. The last one she had made had been two months ago, which was about the Dark Lord's eventual downfall, but then returning to power many years later and would have to be defeated once and for all by the person that defeated him the first time.

Prophecies, however, were a bit tricky, and there was no guarantee that they would come true. Half the time they only became true because they were self-fulfilling, in other words the actions of the subjects of the prophecies made them come true. Therefore, in the case of the recent prophecy that Ana made, the Dark Lord could do something that would result in his downfall, and then when he returned to power, would then go after the person that defeated him the first time in revenge, which would result in his final defeat.

Dinner no longer alternated between just the homes of the older Petrovs and Romanovs, for on Wednesdays they were at Sarah and Niko's home, Thursdays at Tobias and Maria's house, and Fridays at the rented house that Ana and Stephen had moved into. On Saturdays was a picnic at a park, and Sundays we had dinner at a restaurant, usually something non-British, like Indian or Chinese. Maria and Tobias normally paid for the meals, as they earned the highest salary as Aurors. First-year Aurors were paid five hundred Galleons a month, but with the war, they now earned six hundred. Theirs was the second-highest paying job at the Ministry, the highest being that of a Hit Wizard, who had a salary of seven hundred Galleons (eight hundred with the war) and a bed at St. Mungo's. Well, technically the highest paying jobs were that of Minister for Magic and the Department Heads, but I didn't count those as they weren't something that everyone could aspire to.

When not brewing potions and learning everything I could about the subject, I practised wandless magic and learned things about aspects of Romany magic. I couldn't know everything, of course, for _Gajos_, or non-Gypsies, weren't supposed to be privy to all Romany secrets unless they were raised as a Romany or married to one, like in Sarah's case. In the evenings, I read the accounts the Petrovs and Romanovs had written about their experiences in the Holocaust, having finally worked up the courage to do so, and was horrified with what I read. Mrs. Romanov, being a Healer, had spent over a year working in Auschwitz's hospital as a nurse, and had recorded everything she could remember about working there. She devoted several pages to a Nazi doctor named Josef Mengele, who was obsessed with his 'experiments' and collected twin children and others he found interesting, such as those that were short like dwarves.

Mrs. Petrov had worked in the kitchens, thanks to a bribe she and Mrs. Romanov had paid, and was sometimes able to 'organise' extra food for other young women they were acquainted with. Since they had relatively good jobs, they were able to avoid being selected for the gas chambers, and due to their magic, they escaped being taken along on a death march and so were still at Auschwitz when they camp was finally liberated. Mr. Petrov and Mr. Romanov had eventually been sent to work at a factory with a large group of other 'prisoners', and then had been part of a death march toward the end of the war. Since they were wizards, they had been able to use magic to pull through to liberation, but it hadn't been enough to save Mrs. Petrov's brother, who became ill and collapsed one day on the journey. His two friends tried to help him, but eventually one of the guards noticed and shot him. That evening, Mr. Romanov and Mr. Petrov did Disillusionment Charms on themselves and two men that they were friendly with and ran away. After finding shelter at an abandoned farm, they modified the memories of the Muggles so that they forgot about magic and the group stayed hidden at the farm until liberation.

When it came time to return to Hogwarts, Sarah revealed that she was pregnant again. She and Niko asked me to be the godfather for this child, and after my initial surprise and protests that there were others better qualified to be godfather, I gave in and accepted. I was relatively happy upon arriving at Hogwarts, until I discovered two things, that my nenemis James Potter had somehow become Head Boy, and Lily Evans, who was Head Girl, had finally decided to go out with him. While it was true that Potter hadn't bullied me as much last year and he seemed to be trying to act more mature, he was still nowhere was well-behaved as Lupin (which wasn't saying much), and I couldn't understand why Lily had agreed to date him. However, my friendship with her was over and she didn't speak to me except when absolutely necessary during Potions and Charms (the two classes we had together), so there was nothing I could do about it.

I ended up burying myself in my schoolwork, determined to do well on my N.E.W.T.s, especially my Potions one. If I achieved an Outstanding on the Potions N.E.W.T., then scored at least an 85 percent on the Mastery test and got passing grades on the rest of my N.E.W.T.s (that weren't electives), that plus the time I spent as an apprentice would fulfill the requirements and I would become a Potions Master. I would have to figure out what to do with my life after that, even if it was taking up Mrs. Petrov's offer to work at the apothecary, though I would only be paid room, board, and twenty Galleons a month, since she couldn't quite afford to pay me the kind of salary that she paid Fiona if I lived at a place of my own now that Ana was practically part owner.

When the Christmas holidays arrived, Mrs. Petrov insisted on me spending it with her family again. Two days after Christmas, I got the news that my father was very illl. Mrs. Petrov accompanied me to the hospital, where I found that he wasn't far from death. Though I hated the bastard, my mother had loved him once, and he hadn't started drinking and became abusive until I was five and he had lost his job at the mill. For that, I attempted to make sort of peace with him, but it didn't work. Though he couldn't shout, since he was too ill and weak to do so, he snapped in the loudest tone he could manage, "Good riddance, you worthless freak of nature. Those powers couldn't save Eileen or do me any good. I'm glad I'll never have to see you again and-"

At this point, he burst into a fit of coughing, and Mrs. Petrov rushed me out of the room before he could recover and say anything more to me. Her mouth was a thin line, and her eyes flashed angrily as we left the hospital. "Pay him no mind. You are a million times better than Tobias Snape, and he doesn't deserve to be your father. The only good thing that came out of his marriage was you."

The next day, the hospital notified me of his death. Mr. Petrov made the funeral arrangements, and only myself, the Petrovs and Romanovs (except for Sarah, who stayed home to look after Vera), and the vicar were present. I inherited the house at Spinner's End, and nothing else, as what little money was left went to paying the bills left behind.

When the holidays ended, I returned to Hogwarts and threw myself into my studies again, only taking time away when the other Slytherins pressed me to spend time with them. They were all supporters of the Dark Lord, and though associating with them had been one of the reasons that Lily had stopped being my friend, I really had no other choice. They could end up being more dangerous than the Marauders, and I didn't want my housemates after me, since I couldn't escape them the same way as I could with the Marauders. Things continued like this until I took my N.E.W.T.s (getting Outstandings in everything except Herbology, which was an Exceeds Expectations) and graduated from Hogwarts. I went to the Petrovs after graduation, where I helped Mrs. Petrov in the apothecary and studied for my Mastery exam in Potions.


	7. The Worst Mistake

Three days after I had left Hogwarts, there was a small ceremony for Sarah and Niko's son, named Ivan Severus, in which I was named godfather. I still couldn't get over the fact that they were willing to have me as godfather or that I had a namesake, even if it was the middle name and not first. Then again, Severus was an unusual name, and I wouldn't wish it as a first name on anybody.

At the end of July I took the exam for my Potions Mastery. The first day I spent three hours answering numerous questions about potions and potion ingredients, followed with brewing a Forgetfulness Potion from memory. The second day I had to brew two more potions, a Strengthening Solution and the Draught of Peace, from memory. A week later, the results were announced. I had actually managed to get a perfect score, one of seven people to have ever done so in the history of the exam, and so achieved my Potions Mastery.

I went back to Spinner's End with the money Mrs. Petrov had given me for helping in the apothecary to figure out what I was going to do with my life. Some fellow ex-Slytherins had contacted me the past month whenever they saw me in Diagon Alley, and had not-so-subtly hinted that my talents could be useful to the Dark Lord. I had managed to avoid giving them a stright answer by telling them I was preparing for my Potions Mastery, but they had made it clear that once I obtained it, they would contact me again. I had no doubt that my Potions skill would be useful to the Dark Lord, and so could avoid participating in many of the more evil things he and his Death Eaters did, but joining him wasn't something I really wanted to do. I really had nothing against Muggleborns, and except for my father and others like him, had no hatred for Muggles, though I didn't really think much about them either. Still, the Dark Lord was powerful, and he could give me some measure of protection.

A few days later, I agreed to accompany some of former housemates, Lucius Malfoy among them, to a meeting where the Dark Lord was present. At the conclusion, I found myself agreeing to become a Death Eater, and the Dark Mark was branded on my arm. After that, I bowed low, swore fealty to the Dark Lord, kissed the hem of his robes, and was allowed to leave.

As soon as I had Apparated back to Spinner's End, I realized the enormity of what I had done. I was plagued with guilt for my actions, and the arm with the Dark Mark on it started flaring with pain. I began feeling rather feverish, and I knew I needed to seek some form of help. Since the Petrovs and Romanovs had made it clear that I was free to come to them for anything, they were the only ones I could turn to, though after what I had just done, I wouldn't blame them if they turned me away and refused to have nothing more to do with me. In a haze of pain, guilt, and fever, I staggered over to the fireplace, threw in a pinch of Floo powder, and weakly called out, "Petrov's Potions!"

Second later, I fell out of the fireplace in the room used as the brewing laboratory. Ana was in the middle of bottling up a potion and Mrs. Petrov was cleaning up. Both looked up in surprise. "Severus!" exclaimed Mrs. Petrov, a look of concern on her face. "What happened to you?"

"I-help-made-mistake!" I gasped out. Before I passed out, I dimly saw Ana and Mrs. Petrov rush over to me.

* * *

(Third-person POV)

Mrs. Petrov managed to catch Severus before he hit the ground. "Oh dear, he's burning up!" she exclaimed, putting a hand on his face. "Ana, fetch me some Fever Reducer at once."

Ana Summoned a bottle of Fever Reducer and poured some of it down his throat. After a moment, his temperature noticeably lowered. Mrs. Petrov conured a basin of water and a sponge and gently began bathing his face, while Ana removed his robes so that he only had on trousers and a short-sleeved shirt. As soon as she had done so, she saw the Dark Mark on his arm, radiating heat and causing the skin to turn red around it. "Dear sweet Merlin!" she exclaimed, dropping the robes in shock. "That must be the mistake he said he made!"

"Firecall Lise and tell her to come here at once," ordered Mrs. Petrov, pausing long enough to silently and wandlessly summon a bottle of Pain Reliever and a jar of burn salve. "And Firecall Maria and tell her to bring dinner over here, since we can't go over to her home for it. And tell her to notify Sarah and Niko about it."

As Ana went to do as ordered, Mrs. Petrov managed to get some Pain Reliever into Severus's stomach and then proceeded to gently rub some burn salve on the Mark and surrounding area, a grim look on her face. "If I could get my hands on Voldemort and those idiot Death Eaters that convinced Severus that it was a good idea to join them..." she muttered savagely.

Two minutes later, Mrs. Romanov stepped out of the fireplace, wand and medical kit in hand. She took one look at Severus, muttered something in the _Romany_ language, then immediately cast a diagnostic spell on him. "The Fever Reducer and Pain Reducer helped, but he still has a slight fever and some pain. And there is some darkness in the area around the Mark, but his body is trying to fight it." She proceeded to conjure a stretcher, levitated Severus onto it, and then levitated the stretcher with him on it upstairs.

Mrs. Petrov installed him in the bedroom that he had previously stayed in, at which point he came to. However, he wasn't completely his normal self, as he began raving, "Go away! I'm tainted!" and other things along that vein.

"You are not tainted, Severus," said Mrs. Petrov firmly, fighting back tears. "You just made a mistake, and none of us here blame you for it."

Mrs. Romanov transfigured his clothes into a pair of pajamas and then gave him some more Fever Reducer, followed by a Dreamless Sleep Potion. As soon as he was asleep, she stood up, a look of pain on her face. "Oh, Ilsa, what are we going to do? Why didn't he tell us that Voldemort and his followers wanted him to join? With everything that has gone in his life, I'm not surprised that he gave in and took the Dark Mark. At least he came to us for help once he got away and realized the mistake he made."

The rest of the family appeared at this point. "What happened, Mother Ilsa?" demanded Sarah, holding a sleeping Ivan. "Niko said that we were having dinner here tonight, and that Ana said there was something wrong with Severus."

"Severus Flooed over here, said something about making a mistake, and then fainted," said Mrs. Petrov quietly. "When Ana and I tended to him, we found out that he had taken the Dark Mark."

There were gasps, and Stephan snapped, "May Voldemort and his loyal Death Eaters suffer for all eternity for what they did!" His outburst woke up Ivan, who began crying, but nobody scolded Stephan for it, while Sarah simply undid the buttons of her blouse and began nursing her son to keep him quiet for a bit.

"We should have realized something like this was going to happen," said Niko. "Or I should have, at least. I saw that the other Slytherins were starting to influence Severus in my final year at Hogwarts. I should have known that they would keep it up until it resulted in the Death Eaters and Voldemort convincing him that it was in his best interests to join them."

"Don't blame yourself, Niko," said Tobias Romanov. "How could you predict the future? Not that I'm blaming Severus in any way, but he could have told us what was happening. But I suppose he didn't want to get us involved in his trouble. At least he had the sense to seek our aid after he made the mistake."

"What do we do?" asked Maria, a helpless look on her face. "Severus needs our help to recover from this, and he can't just go up to You-Know-Who and say, 'It was a mistake joining you. I quit.' That would just ensure his death at You-Know-Who's or another Death Eater's hand."

"Let's take this one step at a time," said Mr. Romanov. "We first help Severus recover, and make it very clear to him that we do not blame him at all for his mistake and still support him. After that, we will go from there. We can find some way of hiding him, or if he is brave enough and willing to do so, he can become something of a spy and report on Death Eater activity to us."

"Well, if he wishes to do that, then I will have to teach him Occulemency so that Voldemort doesn't suspect that he isn't loyal," said Mr. Petrov.

"Absolutely not!" exclaimed Mrs. Romanov. "Eli, you are in no way to suggest to Severus that he become a spy on Voldemort! That is too dangerous, even if you teach him Occulemency, Vladek."

"We're not going to force him, Lise," protested Mr. Romanov. "Severus is of age and it is up to him to decide what to do."

"Do you not know him at all?" snapped Mrs. Petrov. "He truly regrets what he has done, and would instantly agree to becoming a spy for us as a way to atone for his so-called sins. We will not bring up the subject to him at all, and if he should be the one to think of this, we will do our best to dissuade him. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Ilsa," answered Mr. Romanov and Mr. Petrov.

None of them were in any mood to eat, other than Vera, who was too young to understand what was going on. Niko took his daughter downstairs to feed her, while Sarah put Ivan down for a nap once he was done nursing. Ana, Mrs. Petrov, Maria, and Stephan arranged to sit by Severus's bedside in shifts and tend to him. Mrs. Romanov would have done the same, but she currently was working the night shift at St. Mungo's. Despite having no appetite, she forced down two cups of tea and some toast and salad before leaving for work at a quarter to eight. Both families ended up staying at the apothecary for the rest of night, due to their concern for Severus. Mrs. Petrov didn't leave the room even after her shift was over, instead falling into a fitful sleep in an armchair she conjured next to the chair Maria was sitting on and waking up every so often to make sure that Severus hadn't gotten any worse.


	8. The Recovery

(Back to Severus's POV)

I woke up to find Mrs. Petrov dozing in an armchair next to my bed and Ana in an ordinary chair next to her, with a book in her hands, but not really reading, for she kept looking around the room and randomly flipping pages. Ana noticed that I was awake a couple of seconds later and immediately got up. "Mother, Severus is awake. How are you feeling, Severus?"

"T-tainted," I replied after I cleared my throat. "Why am I here?"

"Where else would you be?" she asked. "You're still recovering, by the way." She helped me sit up and then handed me a glass of water sitting on the dresser.

Once I was done drinking, Mrs. Petrov said gently, "None of us blame you for the mistake you made. If you had refused to take the Dark Mark, I am sure Voldemort would have killed you, or ordered one of his Death Eaters to do it. We know you are not evil at heart. Now, you are going to rest, and we will do everything in out power to fully heal you."

"I don't deserve any of this," I spat. I rolled up my sleeve and thrust out my arm. "Just look!"

Mrs. Petrov glanced at the Dark Mark without flinching, then said, "So you have something on your arm that you do not like, Severus. That does not make you evil or undeserving of good treatment. It will simply remind you that you were forced into a horrible situation that you hate, and it will make you a stronger person. Just as the number tatooed on my arm does for me."

"There's a difference!" I protested. "The Nazis didn't see you as a person and the number represents that! The Dark Mark is evil and shows that-"

"Severus Snape!" snapped Mrs. Petrov, shaking me slightly. "That is quite enough! I will not have you working yourself up into a state over this. You are not evil, and a million Dark Marks branded on you would still not prove that. If Niko was forced to join the Death Eaters, since he was also a Slytherin, and took the Dark Mark, would that make him evil?"

"No, but he's never-"

"Do you think my twin is a perfect saint and has never done anything wrong in his life?" interrupted Ana. "Because that's not true."

"Do you want further proof, Severus?" asked Mrs. Petrov. "Well, the apothecary has wards placed on them, and one of them prevents those with evil in their hearts from entering. If you were evil, then you wouldn't have been able to set foot in here. In fact, the moment you tried to Floo here, you would have been repelled and thrown out of your fireplace."

I opened my mouth, then shut it again. There was nothing I could say to argue against that, and so I had to accept the fact that I was not evil and the Dark Mark had not made me so, since the wards on the apothecary had let me in.

There was a knock on the door and Mrs. Romanov came in, wearing her Healer's robes. Clearly she had just finished her shift at St. Mungo's. "I see you are awake, Severus," she said. "Don't blame yourself. None of us do, and we would rather have you alive than dead, which is what you would be if you refused to join Voldemort." She pulled a small flask out her pocket. "This is a Calming Draught. I want you to take a dose. Then you're going to have some food and we'll discuss what we can do to protect you."

"I don't need protection, Mrs. Romanov," I replied. "I need to atone for what I did."

Mrs. Petrov and Mrs. Romanov exchanged looks. "That isn't necessary, Severus, but we'll discuss that later," the latter said before handing the Calming Draught to me and leaving the room.

When I finished with the dose of Calming Draught and made a trip to the loo, Mrs. Romanov returned with a tray that had a bowl of porridge with milk, honey, and cinnamon mixed in, a mug of herbal tea with honey, and a two slices of toast with strawberry jam. The tray was set on a stand that she placed over my lap. "Enjoy your breakfast, Severus," she said and then she and Mrs. Petrov left the room. Ana picked up her book again so I could eat in peace, but I knew she really wasn't reading when she still hadn't turned a page by the time I was halfway through with my meal.

When I finished eating, Mrs. Romanov and Mrs. Petrov returned. The former had changed out of her work uniform and was now dressed in a pale yellow blouse and a bright green skirt with gold braid at the hem. Ana picked up the tray and silently left the room, while the two older women sat down next to me. "Severus, the fact that you sincerely regret what you were forced to do atones for it," said Mrs. Petrov gently. "There is absolutely no need for you to do anything else to make up for it."

"It's not enough," I answered stubbornly. "I made a mistake and need to make up for it. I think the best way would be to pretend to be a loyal Death Eater and spy on the Dark Lord's activities."

"You will do no such thing, Severus Snape!" snapped Mrs. Petrov. "That is far too dangerous! If Voldemort ever found out that you were a double agent, he'd have you killed on the spot!"

"Mother, he is an adult and capable of making his own decisions," pointed out Ana. "And you aren't his mother. Though I do agree that what he proposes is too dangerous."

"Just because I'm not his biological mother doesn't mean I can't function as one, Anastasia! Besides, if Eileen were alive, she would object to this too."

"Mrs. Petrov, I know it's dangerous, but I still want to do this," I interrupted. "Even if I don't need to atone for my actions, it's still the right thing to do."

"Yes, but-" Mrs. Petrov sighed and continued, "Well, I suppose I can't really forbid you. You are an adult and not my biological son, after all. And the children in our two families have never been the sheltered sort, so it would be rather hypocritical of me to try to shelter you."

Mrs. Romanov frowned. "But it's still not something we want you to do, Severus. Spying on Voldemort is extremely dangerous. Still, Ilsa has a point. We can't protect you forever, and it is true that we raised our children to be capable if taking care of themselves when necessary. So we must do the same with you in regards to Voldemort and the Death Eaters. Vladek has said that he is willing to teach you Occulemency. Do you know what it is?" At my nod, she continued, "That way Voldemort will not figure out that you aren't loyal to him in case he happens to know Legilimency. You already have the ability to hide your emotions and don't seem to be a horrible liar, so you are safe there. We will see if there is anything else you need to learn in order to protect yourself."

"Thank you, Mrs. Romanov and Mrs. Petrov," I said humbly.

"We _do_ want you to be safe, Severus," said Mrs. Petrov. "Besides, we also know that you are very stubborn and rather than waste time trying and failing to talk you out of being a double agent, we might as well do our best to help you. Now, you need to recover from what you've endured. Once you're completely well, you can start with the Occulemency lessons."

After leaving me with a mug to tea and a book on Occulemecy and another on Potions to keep me from being bored, the three witches left the room. I picked up the book on Occulemency and started reading.


	9. The Masquerade Begins

Author's Note: Sorry about the long time it has been since I updated this. I had a case of writer's block in that I had an idea of what I wanted to write, but no idea of how to actually get it down in a good format.

This chapter, as well as the rest of this fic, is dedicated to writer Snapegirlkmf. She has written numerous wonderful fics, mainly involving Severus Snape becoming mentor and/or guardian to Harry Potter. Unfortunately, her mother recently passed, so she is taking a hiatus from writing, and in honor of her I dedicate this fic to her.

In the evening, I was allowed to get out of bed to join the Petrovs and Romanovs for dinner. As soon as I had eaten a few bites, Sarah proceeded to try to persuade me from becoming a spy on Voldemort. "It's too dangerous, Sev!" she protested. "Even if you do master Occlumency. If You-Know-Who ever found out that you were a spy, he'd kill you, or have one of his loyal Death Eaters do it!"

"My mind is made up, Sarah," I responded firmly. "I have to atone for my mistake and this is the best way to do about it."

She shook her head emphatically. "There are other ways, Severus Snape! Furthermore, I refuse to let Ivan end up having to grow up without a godfather."

"Sarah, it's a waste of time and breath trying to talk Severus out of it," said Niko. "He's determined to do it. And don't you think Mum and Mother Lise didn't try already?"

"You're supposed to be on my side, Nikolas Vladek Petrov!" retorted Sarah. "What Sev wants to do is too risky and I will not have Ivan lose his godfather over this!"

"Just eat your dinner, Sarah," interjected Maria calmly. "And the way you're talking, you sound like you have no faith in Severus's abilities at all and expect him to be found out and killed the next time he shows up for a Death Eater meeting."

"That's not it at all, and you know it, Maria Lisette!" snapped Sarah, completely ignoring her untouched dinner to glare at her sister-in-law. "I just don't want Severus to take the risk!"

"You're not in any position to give him orders," pointed out Stephan. "It's his decision to make and as he's of age and you're not his owner-"

"Oh shut up, Stephan Elijah Romanov!" she interrupted nastily. "I know how old he is and that I don't own him. That doesn't mean I like his decision or can't try to talk him out if it."

"You're wasting your time and breath, Sarah, like Niko said," said Ana impatiently. "Just give it up already."

"I will not give it up, Anastasia Katerina! This-"

"Sarah, I have made up my mind," I interrupted. "This is something I feel I have to do. If you're so worried about Ivan growing up without his godfather, then just name someone else to be godfather instead."

"I WILL NOT, SEVERUS TOBIAS SNAPE!" Sarah shouted, face red with anger. "Niko and I made you godfather and we're not changing our minds!"

"That is enough!" said Mr. Romanov sternly. "Sarah Rachel, be quiet and eat your dinner. This is Severus's decision and he has made it. No amount of arguing is going to change his mind, so just calm down and accept it."

"I will not!" Sarah all but shouted, getting angrily to her feet. "How can you all just sit there and eat after hearing what he plans to do? You don't care about Sev at all!" With that, she stalked out of the room, her crimson skirt whirling about her.

Niko sighed and stood up. "I'll talk to her and get her to see reason. Sorry about this, Severus. We do care for you, but unlike Sarah, understand that you feel you must do this in order to atone for your mistake, even if we don't like your decision." With a shake of his head, he walked out the dining room.

I set down my spoon in my half-eaten bowl of soup, having completely lost my appetite after Sarah's outburst and leaving the room. Mrs. Romanov looked at me. "Severus, are you sure you won't rethink your decision? What you are planning to do is very risky."

"I'm sure, Mrs. Romanov," I answered stubbornly. "I made a huge mistake and becoming a spy on the Dark Lord is the only way I can truly atone for it."

"All right then," she said. "We'll stand by your decision and help you. Sarah will come around in time and do the same. Now please finish your dinner. You're already thin enough as it is."

I forced myself to finish the bowl of soup and a slice of bread, despite my loss of appetite, but turned down dessert. Mrs. Petrov would not let me help clear the table or wash the dishes, so I headed back to my room. Sarah and Niko stopped me on the way.

"I don't like what you're doing at all, Severus Snape, but I will help you in any way I can to make sure it goes smoothly," said Sarah, a very unhappy look on her face. "We've all learned Occulemency from Father Vladek, so we can help make sure your mental shields are strong. Ivan is _not_ losing a godfather."

"Thank you, Sarah," I replied.

"Just because I'm giving in to the inevitable doesn't mean you're getting off from me. Ivan is your godson, and you are going to get to know him. As soon as he turns four, he is going to be spending every Saturday afternoon, unless either of you have other commitments, with you. Is that clear?"

I nodded and agreed to the Saturday afternoon visits, though I was inwardly wondering how I would interact with Ivan. I had absolutely no experience with younger kids, beyond the occasional telling first-years the directions to various places at Hogwarts. I just hoped the war would be over by the time he was four, with the Light side winning, and that I made it through intact. With the Petrovs and Romanovs to vouch for me, I would also avoid being sent to Azkaban as a Death Eater, though that wasn't my main concern at the moment.

The next day, Mr. Petrov gave me my first Occulemency lesson, which mainly consisted of me meditating and clearing my mind of all thoughts. He then went over the things I had read in the book on Occulemency and told me to practice meditating and clearing my mind every night before going to sleep.

After that, I had Occulemency lessons every evening after dinner. On the fifth lesson, when I had mostly mastered meditating and clearing my mind, I started learning how to create mental shields that would prevent others who knew Legilimency from reading my thoughts. During the day, I worked at the apothecary, brewing potions for Mrs. Petrov and Ana. I received a salary of five Galleons a week and room and board for my work.

By the time I was able to produce a weak mental shield, the Dark Lord summoned me and several other Death Eaters for a meeting. I concentrated on setting up my shield and thinking firmly that I was a loyal Death Eater and embraced everything that the Dark Lord believed in. The meeting composed of the other Death Eaters being sent on a mission, while I was told that I would be his main Potions brewer and ordered to brew a few rather nasty potions. I turn told the Dark Lord that I had a part-time job at Petrov's Potions and had a brewed a few potions that Dumbledore's side had ordered. I also mentioned that I had the opportunity to overhear or pick up interesting tidbits at the apothecary, as the owner had a daughter and son-in-law that were Aurors and often dropped by. I really didn't want to say that, but I had to appear to be a loyal Death Eater, and Maria and Tobias had been the ones to suggest it.

The Dark Lord looked pleased at that and ordered me to keep my ears out for any information of use. He then stared at me. I did not look away as he clumsily entered my mind, and focused on thinking thoughts that were loyal to him. He withdrew, finding no thoughts of betrayal, and after giving me some money for the Potions ingredients that I would need, dismissed me.

When I returned to Petrov's Potions, I told Maria about the mission the other Death Eaters had been sent on. She thanked me and then Apparated away to notify Professor Dumbledore, as she and Tobias had joined the Order of the Phoenix, a group set up by Dumbledore to fight against the Dark Lord. Mrs. Petrov took the money I had been given, saying that she would donate it to St. Mungo's, and handed me the ingredients that I would need for the potions that I had been ordered to brew.

I started brewing the first, a Pain-Inducing Potion that caused pain that was almost as bad as the Cruciatus Curse. As prepared the ingredients, I reminded myself that I had to act like a loyal Death Eater and not brewing the potions wouldn't help my act. When Ana finished the Skele-gro potion that she was brewing, she silently joined me and helped me with the Potion. When I protested, she said, "I'm not going to let you do this alone, Severus. Besides, when you're done with the potions the Dark Lord ordered you brew, you can help me brew the antidotes to them."

"Thank you, Ana," I replied. We managed to finish brewing the four potions that day, and made plans to brew the antidotes to them the next day.


End file.
